It's Finally Here! — Hooray! The new Google Talk features (file sharing, voicemail, and music status) have completed testing and are now available to everyone. Just use Google Talk normally, and it will auto-update to the new version over the next few days. If you just can't wait, you can download the new version directly.

Google Talk marks first year with upgrade — Google Talk, which is celebrating its first birthday with an upgrade, will let people easily transfer files and leave other people voice mail beginning Wednesday. — Now people who use the instant messaging and voice chat service will be able to click a …

Google Music Trends — Google just added a new entry into their robots.txt file — "Disallow: /trends/music?". Well, that would naturally get me wondering what they are trying to hide. It turns out they have a new labs project — Google Music Trends. — Where does the data come from?

Can anything tame the battery flames? — Ross Dueber, CEO of Zinc Matrix Power, has two words for you: Think zinc. — The Camarillo, Calif.-based start-up is one of a number of companies that has been toiling away at a problem that's no longer obscure due to Dell's massive laptop battery recall …

Free citywide WiFi in Mountain View — Today, Google launched a WiFi network in our hometown of Mountain View. Radios hanging on lampposts throughout the city are now broadcasting a "GoogleWiFi" wireless (802.11b/g) signal that brings wireless Internet access to the city's residents, businesses, and visitors.

'Pen' Testing in the Palm of Your Hand — A portable hacking device equipped with hundreds of exploits and an automated exploitation system will go on sale in the United States in October. — The wireless handheld, called Silica, is the latest product to be developed by Immunity …

Real to plug Windows media support into Linux — SAN FRANCISCO—RealNetworks will release open-source software this year that will let Linux computers play Windows Media files. — The media delivery software company and Novell made the announcement at the LinuxWorld Conference and Expo here.

GameFest: Xbox 360 Camera To Ship With Free Game — As part of Microsoft's Gamefest this week in Seattle, Gamasutra has obtained exclusive new details on the launch of the Xbox Live Vision video camera accessory for the Xbox 360, including confirmation of a gesture-based game that is set to be included for free with the hardware.

How To Mix Business And Friendship — One luxury of being your own boss is choosing the people you work with. Just ask the folks at Google, Yahoo! and Boston Scientific. These are but a few large companies launched by friends who took a chance on working together.

What Are Web Surfers — Seeking? Well, It's — Just What You'd Think — One thing about us Internet users: We like our music, we like our pictures, we like our sex — and we like them all free. — Last week, AOL released a trove of what it thought were anonymous Web-search data from 650,000 of its customers.

Kiko On the Block — Web calendar Kiko has put its domain and code up for sale on eBay with a minimum bid of just under $50,000. — Web 2.0 is not all launch parties and magazine covers and bubbly! The online calendar space is one of the more crowded spots to be right now …

AOL Acquires GameDaily From Gigex — AOL Games Expands Audience by Acquiring Some of the Best Gaming Content on the Web. Check out the full press release on this exciting news! — Dulles, VA - August 16, 2006 - AOL LLC announced today that it has acquired GameDaily ( http://www.gamedaily.com ) …

Cyworld Launches, Throws A Big Bash — GigaTeam stopped by Cyworld's launch fiesta at San Francisco's Fluid Ultra Lounge last night and mingled with the Cyworld crew, relaxing after their debut. — A lot of high-level execs from Korea were wandering the floor, from both SK Telecom and Cyworld division …

Kiko Flatlines — Online calendering company Kiko.com has decided to call it quits and put the site up for auction on eBay. They are also offering to export or delete user accounts. It looks like the Deadpool may gain another member. — The Massachusetts company was backed …

Apple scores high in customer satisfaction survey, again — Every once in a while you get bit by the irony bug, even at the Orbiting HQ. This morning was my morning. I was just finishing up on an article about Apple scoring first in the American Customer Satisfaction Index for personal computers.

Satellite TV groups fade in auction — WASHINGTON — A partnership of the two top satellite television companies that qualified as the top potential bidders in the federal government's airwaves auction had all but dropped out of the competition by the close of bidding Tuesday.